Abington woman jailed for stealing from East Norriton medical office

COURTHOUSE — An Abington woman is headed to state prison after she admitted to stealing nearly $25,000 from an East Norriton doctor’s office where she once worked as an office manager.

Megan Galo, 48, of the 1900 block of Moreland Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to one-to-seven years in the State Correctional Institution at Muncy after she pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft by deception in connection with incidents that occurred between January and July 2012.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, said Galo is eligible for the state’s Recidivism Risk Reduction Incentive program, commonly referred to as “Triple R-I,” which allows eligible non-violent offenders to receive reductions of their minimum state prison sentences if they successfully complete all required prison treatment and counseling programs and maintain good-conduct records in prison.

The judge further indicated that restitution for the victim is being pursued through the civil courts.

An investigation of Galo began on July 16, 2012, when East Norriton police responded to the Center for Advanced Orthopedics, 716 West Germantown Pike, for a report of a theft. A doctor reported Galo, an office manager, stole cash deposits totaling $24,962 between Jan. 1 and July 9, according to the arrest affidavit filed by East Norriton Police Sergeant David W. Boyer.

“As office manager, part of Megan Galo’s job was to deposit cash and checks for Center for Advanced Orthopedics,” alleged Boyer, adding a doctor and a biller at the practice stated it was solely Galo’s responsibility to deposit funds.

Galo, authorities alleged, did not return deposit receipts to the biller for cash or checks that were supposed to be deposited between January and July despite repeated requests for them.

Employees of the office confronted Galo about the irregularities on July 11, according to court documents.

“Megan Galo admitted she had taken cash from the practice on and off for about a year and a half,” Boyer alleged.

When asked how much money she had taken, Galo allegedly told her superiors that she took about $80,000 from the practice, according to the criminal complaint.

But the criminal complaint reflects a total of 30 deposits, totaling $24,962, that allegedly were not deposited to the bank by Galo.